In his first visit to the state after taking over as Defence Minister, he is also expected to discuss the possibilities and ways of ensuring the safe return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Kashmir valley. He will be briefed about the militancy situation in the state by the Northern Army Commander and the three Corps Commanders under him looking after the security of the international borders, the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, Defence Ministry officials said.

Army chief Gen Bikram Singh will be present on the occasion and he is likely to be accompanied by Army Chief- Designate Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag during the briefings, they said. Jaitley may also hold meetings with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Governor. The Kashmir valley has not witnessed any major incident of violence in the recent past but the Army terms the situation as "absence of violence" and is taking all possible steps to curb infiltration and violence there.